KUALA LUMPUR: Parliament is not a “one-man show” and the work of lawmakers should not come to a standstill simply because the Prime Minister is unwell, says Muar Member of Parliament Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman.
The former youth and sports minister said while Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim should answer questions on the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) report on Lembaga Tabung Haji (TH) once he has recovered, MPs should continue to carry out their responsibilities.
“I agree that the Prime Minister needs to answer when he has recovered and I also agree that there are many legitimate criticisms regarding the government’s handling of the country and the TH recovery plan.
“But I do not agree that the responsibilities of more than 221 MPs who are fit and well should come to a standstill simply because a Prime Minister is unwell. Parliament is not a one-man show.
“We are paid tens of thousands of ringgit in salaries, are guaranteed pensions and receive all kinds of allowances, all to play our role in providing checks and balances, yet we are failing to fulfil that role,” he said during the special Dewan Rakyat sitting on Tuesday (Aug 11).
He said the TH RCI report did not belong to any Prime Minister or political party, but concerned more than 10 million Muslim depositors who expected MPs to safeguard their interests.
“It is deeply unfortunate that we, on the opposition side, who are the loudest in championing the Malay-Muslim cause, have chosen to boycott the debate on the most important institution for the Malay-Muslim community.
“We are not boycotting the Prime Minister, but we are boycotting our responsibility to millions of TH depositors,” he said.
Syed Saddiq said the TH issue involved all political parties and should not be used to blame a particular party or Prime Minister.
He said MPs should instead work together to find solutions, learn from past mistakes and move forward.
He also said the government needed to go beyond implementing 75% of the recommendations made by the RCI, including amending the Tabung Haji Act to institutionalise safeguards against political appointments.
“There are many more things that need to be done, including amendments to the Tabung Haji Act, and these must be institutionalised to ensure there are no more political appointments.
“The promised fiscal funding injection must also be provided so that the recovery plan can proceed,” he said.
